* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

The hidden costs of engineered stone countertops

October 11, 2023
in Health
The hidden costs of engineered stone countertops
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

countertop

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

I renovated my kitchen two years ago, and now I can’t help but wonder: Is someone sick or dying because of my design choices?

Among the decisions I had to make was which material would replace the cracked and stained yellow tile countertop that was installed in the 1950s. I admired the look of wood, but ultimately chose a sparkly quartz.

I am not the only person who has made this choice for a kitchen or bath redo. In recent years, quartz, or engineered stone, has become the most popular material for slick-looking countertops, and the multibillion-dollar industry is only expected to grow. Quartz isn’t cheap, but its attractive appearance (the options for color and pattern are seemingly endless) and durability make it worth the extra cost. It’s nearly impossible to burn or stain, which is a problem with wood no matter how well you maintain it.

Those are things I discussed with the experts at the tile and countertop suppliers. At no time did we talk about the hidden costs of the option, specifically that the people—mainly young Latinos—who cut engineered stone countertops are getting sick and dying from silicosis, a disease I had never even heard of.

Or that workplace health officials have known for years about the dangers associated with this line of work and rampant noncompliance with safety measures at work sites, but that it is largely unknown to consumers and even workers themselves. Or that dozens of people in the San Fernando Valley, where the engineered stone industry is concentrated, are currently sick with this incurable respiratory disease, which is caused by breathing in the silica dust released when quartz is cut and has had a local fatality rate as high as 20%. Or that at least 10 workers have died from silicosis between 2019 and 2022, and many others are severely disabled.

I only learned these things recently, like many other Times readers, from the story by Emily Alpert Reyes and Cindy Carcamo that put a spotlight on this condition and the industry—and sparked a discussion about what can be done to keep workers safe.

Assembly member Luz Rivas, D-North Hollywood, wrote on X that she had already begun working on legislation to be introduced next session. She said later that the story helped rally attention and support by labor advocates.

This epidemic of silicosis, as health experts have put it, has been on the radar of state and county health officials for some months after concerns were raised by physicians at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center who were seeing an uptick in cases. The state is working on emergency regulations for those who cut engineered stone, even though regulators acknowledge that it may not be possible to make this job completely safe for workers.

CAL/OSHA officials wrote in a May report that “engineered stone may be so hazardous that even properly designed engineering controls and work practices may be unable to prevent RCS [respirable crystalline silica] exposures and silicosis among the workers who cut, shape and polish it.”

Furthermore, many of the workers who are suffering from silicosis reported that they wore respirators and their workplaces incorporated safety methods, such as using water to keep dust down.

If there is no way to keep quartz cutters safe, should engineered stone fabrication be banned? Perhaps. That is one of the options that Los Angeles County health officials will explore in a report requested by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Holly Mitchell. Rivas said it is an option that she is looking at as well.

In many ways, the engineered stone situation resembles the issue of chrome plating, another industry concentrated in Southern California that is all about aesthetics (think spiffed-up cars with shiny chrome grills and rims ) but comes with an extremely toxic byproduct.

In that case, the dangerous substance is carcinogenic hexavalent chromium that metal-finishing operations release into the air at levels that are extremely unsafe for the neighboring communities. State air regulators this year finally approved rules that will require the industry to transition to safer compounds beginning in 2024.

It’s good that lawmakers and regulators have taken notice of this terrible situation, but it does still feel like there’s an important element missing—consumer education. If I had known that choosing quartz put workers’ lives at risk, I would have picked another countertop that doesn’t come with a side of guilt.

There is really no excuse to allow dangerous working conditions for a product that is used for purely aesthetic reasons when there are safer—and equally attractive—options.

2023 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Citation:
The hidden costs of engineered stone countertops (2023, October 10)
retrieved 11 October 2023
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-hidden-stone-countertops.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Medical Xpress – https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-hidden-stone-countertops.html

Tags: costshealthHidden
Previous Post

Singapore’s smoke-free law may have warded off 20,000 heart attacks in people over 65

Next Post

Research finds commonly-used herbicide is harmful to adolescent brain function

About 17 Million More People Could be Uninsured due to the Big Beautiful Bill and other Policy Changes – KFF

How the Big Beautiful Bill and Policy Changes Could Leave 17 Million More People Uninsured

July 2, 2025
Politics and science can mix – High Country News

When Politics Meets Science: Finding Common Ground for a Better Future

July 2, 2025
Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

July 2, 2025
Diamondbacks ban fan who interfered with apparent would-be Giants HR for rest of season, citing ‘multiple offenses’ – Yahoo Sports

Diamondbacks ban fan who interfered with apparent would-be Giants HR for rest of season, citing ‘multiple offenses’ – Yahoo Sports

July 2, 2025
Late Paleolithic whale bone tools reveal human and whale ecology in the Bay of Biscay – Nature

Ancient Whale Bone Tools Reveal Secrets of Human and Whale Life in the Bay of Biscay

July 2, 2025
Exploring three theories of consciousness. – Psychology Today

Unveiling the Mysteries: Exploring Three Fascinating Theories of Consciousness

July 2, 2025
MIT student wins first-ever Stephen Hawking Junior Medal for Science Communication – MIT News

MIT student wins first-ever Stephen Hawking Junior Medal for Science Communication – MIT News

July 2, 2025
Here’s what your morning routine really says about you – New York Post

What Your Morning Routine Says About Who You Really Are

July 2, 2025
David Muir, Diane Sawyer, Charlie Gibson honor ‘World News Tonight’ stage manager – MSN

David Muir, Diane Sawyer, Charlie Gibson honor ‘World News Tonight’ stage manager – MSN

July 2, 2025
Amid Russian economy warnings, Lavrov says NATO’s increased defense spending will lead to ‘collapse’ of alliance – The Kyiv Independent

Lavrov Warns Soaring NATO Defense Budgets May Spark Alliance Collapse

July 2, 2025

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (702)
  • Economy (727)
  • Entertainment (21,615)
  • General (15,672)
  • Health (9,767)
  • Lifestyle (732)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (728)
  • Politics (735)
  • Science (15,945)
  • Sports (21,225)
  • Technology (15,712)
  • World (708)

Recent News

About 17 Million More People Could be Uninsured due to the Big Beautiful Bill and other Policy Changes – KFF

How the Big Beautiful Bill and Policy Changes Could Leave 17 Million More People Uninsured

July 2, 2025
Politics and science can mix – High Country News

When Politics Meets Science: Finding Common Ground for a Better Future

July 2, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version